Docutherapy: The Power of the Pen

Mrs. Weiss had just about all she could handle with her two prepubescent sons. These guys couldn’t find enough space for themselves if they were marooned on an aircraft carrier. This one’s making too much noise. He keeps the lights on too late, he shuts them off too soon. Why should I clean his mess? Whaddaya mean my mess…? Biff! Boom! Pow!... Mommmmm!!

Yes, it was time for an after-hours call to her “therapist”, her sister-in-law. “How do I keep these boys from hailing Armegeddon?”

Calm as a knaidle, her sister-in-law responds, “The next time they come to you with a quibble, tell them to put it in writing.”

Sure enough the next quarrel began right on schedule – three hours earlier than expected. “I had the book and I just put it down for a second…”

“Just put it in writing.”

“Wha…?”

“You have a complaint, submit it in writing.”

“Then what?”

“Then he’s going to have to respond in writing.”

“You mean I also have to write it down?”

“You bet!”

Silence.

“So get writing.”

More silence. In fact the silence prevailed for quite some time – right up until the next quarrel.

Mrs. Weiss was employing a technique that I call docutherapy. (Well, this case may not actually be docutherapy, but rather a variation that I call docu-phobia therapy, but the principle is the same.)

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The Power of the Pen: The Case for Docutherapy

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